Yesterday Get The Gloss hosted a very unique astrology event. If you think all afternoon teas are alike, think again; this one was more about stars than scones…

Whether you’re a hardcore horoscope devotee, have an interest in astrology or are pretty un-clued up as to the synchronicity of the stars (that would be me), a few minutes in the company of Jessica Adams and Shelley Von Strunckel will shed light on...everything. From relationships to career transitions to the bigger global picture, things make a lot more sense after they’ve been given the once over by Shelley and Jessica, even if your ultimate aim is not to chart your lifetime horoscope.

Our Astro Tea took place at an atmospheric, century old East-End townhouse, complete with opium den style bar, kooky furnishings and decadent décor. The historic, myserious surroundings suited the nature of the event to a tee, and Jessica began her talk by clearing the space with incense and encouraging us to tap into our instincts, both during the afternoon and beyond. She went on to impel us to give our spirit guides permission to nudge us along the right path in life, and to really think about whether our goals are right for us using the Rule of Three- essentially cause and effect; if you keep getting negative energy back it’s time to dig deep and look at what undercuts what you pursue. We followed this with a fun session of card reading, using packs of health themed cards kindly sent by The Pure Package ( we are all about health and beauty after all). This resulted in some interesting outcomes when interpreting the purpose of the cards we were reading, particularly when bananas and lemons featured repeatedly when looking at the men in our lives. Some lucky readers received food delivery discount cards too, which can only bode well. Jessica finished by emphasising that time is an illusion, after all clocks and calandars are pure invention, and that our future is always negotiable. She illustrated this concept brilliantly with a tube map; it’s up to you where you get off, and if you’re hitting a lot of problems it might be worth changing tracks, getting off to walk or figuring out an alternative route. I’ll never look at TFL in the same way again.

After a break for zodiac themed tea and cake, Shelley held the room to look at the role of astrology from a universal, feminist and fashion-led perspective, discussing the vital importance of astrology in the past and the disproportional value we attribute to science and established, hierarchical political systems. Essentially, the fact that we think we have it sorted, but astrology teaches us that history repeats itself, and that strong goddess’ of astrology were not just mothers or wives but huntresses and warriors. Funny, then, that we invest so much in our current belief systems but we still haven’t had a female president of the United States and power is to this day passed down in the hands of men.

Shelley illustrated this with insightful examples from the wardrobe of history- men’s ruffs, shoes and swords may have varied in length across the ages but all conveyed a certain ‘endowment’, while women were restricted by corsets (‘people actually believed that they were so frail that their guts might fall out if they didnt!’) and to this day we ourselves champion heels as indicators of strength and stature, when really they’re more akin to modern day foot binding. Scary stuff, but also empowering and motivating, as Shelley emphasised that women’s intuition is finely tuned and that we’ve been in positions of great influence before; there’s no reason we shouldn’t be now. Given the time of transition we’re living in (The Age of Aquarius), it might be occuring sooner than we could have imagined.

Around the site

Health & Beauty

Life

About Get the Gloss

Get The Gloss is the online destination for expert health and beauty. We work with leading makeup artists, hair stylists, nutritionists, personal trainers, trichologists and wellness practitioners to bring our readers the expert view on news and trends in beauty and wellness, and create specialist guides to help you be your happiest, healthiest self.

Led by founders Susannah Taylor and Sarah Vine, our editorial team works with our favourite writers and industry insiders from Amelia Freer to Peta Bee and Imogen Edwards-Jones, and with some of the world's leading brands in beauty and wellness, from Chanel and Estée Lauder to Barrecore and Frame - to bring you all the information and inspiration you need for skincare, haircare, makeup, fitness and nutrition in one place.